Blooming
by Hathos
Summary: An older Ash Ketchum comes home to Pallet Town for a surprise visit. He meets up with this favorite professor and they spend the day together catching up on lost time. Ash has been looking for change in his life, hopefullya change that he won't regret. Little does he know, what he's been wanting has already been granted to him. Warning: Yaoi, Ash x Professor Oak
1. Introduction

The sun was as high as could be, striking down the rays of high noon onto the citizens of Pallet Town. At its dock, a familiar face was strolling through a dirt path with his lightning-affiliated companion hopping in pursuit of its owner.

It seemed as if only yesterday Ash had left his hometown, but in reality, a few months had passed, six to be exact, ever since he set foot in this beloved place he called home.

Ash paused for a moment to reminisce the memories created at this very town. He inhaled the fresh, warm air, preparing himself before advancing. His intention for returning was definitely for the best; Ash had high expectations for this visit, and the challenges to come would be some of the most difficult ones he would face in his entire life.

"Pika Pika!" exclaimed Pikachu with much anticipation. Ash's absence matched to that of Pikachu's, and neither one could wait for what was to come.

"Right. Let's go Pikachu," Ash replied. With his wide field of view, he observed his surroundings. He paced himself, and with each step, recognized more and more buildings. "_Quite a sight for sore eyes,"_ thought Ash as he made it to the main path. But the buildings of Pallet Town were not the target of Ash's attention; only one building served as the real objective for the dynamic duo. Ash's heart skipped a beat as he caught sight of his main destination: a red-topped, windmill-equipped, laboratory. "Professor…" Ash whispered to himself.


	2. Chapter 1: A sight for sore eyes

Pikachu already knew Ash's real intention, for Ash had told Pikachu his true motives for the coming day during their time out at sea.

Just like before, Ash would have to attend to regular business: going to the Pokémon Center, visiting his mom, and meeting with Professor Oak.

This time, however, certain factors that he had accounted for would change his usual routine.

First, none of his Pokémon had battled since the last visit to the Pokémon Center a day prior to his departure on the boat: visiting Pallet Town's Pokémon Center would really serve no purpose.

Next, as extraneous as it seemed to Ash when he first heard the news, his mother was out on vacation with her Mr. Mime and would not arrive back at Pallet Town until the day after Ash's arrival.

Ash concluded that he could then just go straight to Professor Oak's laboratory. Usually, he would spend the night at his mother's first, and visit the professor that evening or the following day. Ash contemplated that a day like today should not go to waste.

No one had any idea that Ash would be returning, so everyone would be in for a surprise once his presence was known.

These kinds of visits that Ash made every few months usually didn't make him exceedingly nervous, but this time Ash was going to do something that he had never done before. The buildup of 6 months worth of anticipation was making Ash's heart race. His breathing deepened, Pikachu knew from what. What Ash planned to do this visit would either make or break one of his most cherished relationships.

The legendary duo lead themselves up the path leading to Professor Oak's lab. As Ash and Pikachu approached the laboratory's entrance, there was something on the door that caught Ash's eye: a note on the door.

_"Out at lunch, be right back!"_

_-Professor S. Oak_

After reading this note, Ash felt somewhat disappointed seeing that he would have to wait until the professor returned.

"Pika pika?" questioned Pikachu.

"He'll be back, soon I hope," answered Ash with a hint of sadness in his voice. Ash could wait for the professor, but would do so with his head hanging low. He really couldn't wait to see the Professor. Just as Ash had finished speaking, the door opened.

There was as slight pause between the door's opening and before the individual in front of Ash realized who was visiting. The figure asked, "Is that _my_ Ash Ketchum?"

Ash's head shot up to the sound of the strikingly familiar voice and froze. Pikachu too had looked up to see who had replied. Ash and in an instant, all of Ash's troubles and pains ceased. It was the Professor!

"P… Professor!" exclaimed Ash as he stood before the doorway separating him and Professor Oak. "I thought you were out for lunch," commented the trainer in a slight tone of shock.

Oak chuckled and said with a smirk, "Now Ash, is that how you greet your favorite professor, and after all this time?"

With that asked, Ash leapt forward, wrapping his arms around his "favorite professor" closing the distance between them. "It's nice to see you to, Ash," said the Professor hugging back. _"He grew…" _he thought while enjoying their embrace, rubbing Ash's back to comfort his shock.

"Six months away from you can really take the words out of my mouth, Professor," Ash answered after he stepped back a bit, hands still on the Professor's sides.

"Pika!" said Pikachu.

"See? Even Pikachu misses you," added Ash as his yellow companion hopped its way to Ash shoulder.

Oak tickled Pikachu's belly with his finger. "I missed you too, Pikachu", said Oak as he leaned towards Pikachu with a smile.

"I was just about to leave for lunch. I thought putting the sign out first might save me the trouble of forgetting later," Oak told them. "How would you and Pikachu like to go out to lunch with me?"

"We'd love to, Professor!" answered an ecstatic Ash, looking at his soon-to-be-lunch mate.

"Pika pika!" exclaimed Pikachu as he jumped his way to Ash's head. And with that, they made their way down the path leading onto the main road.

As they walked, Ash observed the man beside him and saw slight changes here and there. Ash truly could not keep his eyes of the professor. Professor Oak's eyebrows were thinner, which Ash thought highlighted the dark-brown beauties below them. Professor Oak's outfit was dashingly livelier as well, substituting the white lab coat for a dark-purple with a light-purple collared shirt. His pants and shoes were the usual tan and brown, respectively, but Ash really thought the new "purple look" really made his tan skin stand out.

Both the professor and Pikachu noticed Ash's traveling eyes. This put a smile on Pikachu's face, as did on Professor Oak's. Professor Oak wrapped his arm around Ash's lower back, leaned in and asked, "See something you like?" with a cheeky smirk on his face.

Ash face was slightly reddened by the question while Pikachu giggled at it. "Pikachu seems to think you do," he added, further teasing his companion.

Ash looked away from his professor. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. What's it to you, Professor?" Ash embarrassingly replied, trying not to make eye contact with Oak.

_"So he's playing hard to get, is he?" _thought Professor Oak as the three of them continued down the path. "Well Ash, it just so happens that I see something I like as well," replied the Professor, as he tried to look at Ash's expression. _"That should get his attention,"_

"You do?" asked Ash as he quickly turned his head back at Professor Oak. Ash was eager to know what, or who, it was.

As Ash turned his head, the professor reached up above Ash's head. "Pikachu!" said Professor Oak, patting Pikachu's head.

"Pi- Pikachu!" said Pikachu, enjoying getting attention from Professor Oak.

Ash pouted in disappointment, crossing his arms, and slightly speeding up his pace.

"Oh Ash, that's what you get for playing hard-to-get!" Oak announced as he caught up with Ash.

They made it to Pallet Town's restaurant and found themselves a table. A waiter presented them with menu before being dismissed.

"So Ash, I recall your mother not being in town until tomorrow. Where do you plan on sleeping?" the Professor asked, already knowing the answer to the question. It became very apparent that Professor Oak would constantly be teasing Ash this visit, but he really could not help himself.

"Well, I was going to ask you if I can stay overnight at your place," he replied questioningly.

"Hmm, let me think about that… Were you planning on sleeping on the porch or on the roof?" Oak jokingly ask him.

"Professor Oak! You're a jerk," Ash said with a bit of contempt in his voice.

"Oh Ash, of course you can stay with me! What kind of host would I be if I let you sleep with the Sparrows?" He replied to the trainer. "Lucky for us, we have the lab all to ourselves,"

_"All to ourselves…" _thought Ash. "Thank you Professor," He said.

"Not a problem Ash. You're always welcome to stay with me," stated the professor.


	3. Chapter 2: Rekindled

After lunch, they made it back to the laboratory. Oak took the sign off his door and allowed Ash and Pikachu to enter before him.

As they took their shoes off, Ash noticed that Pikachu was tired from eating so much. "Someone ate too many poffins," Ash commented as he took Pikachu from his head. "Tired, aren't ya, buddy?" he asked. Pikachu nodded, somewhat fatigued from eating too much.

"Professor, is it ok if I put Pikachu on the couch? He's getting a little drowsy," asked Ash.

"I don't mind at all, Ash," replied Oak as he locked the door.

"Here you go, Pikachu," Ash said as he put Pikachu down on the sofa in Professor Oak's study. Almost instantly, Pikachu fell into a deep slumber.

Ash heard footsteps from the study's entrance, "We have some more catching up to do, don't we Ash?" Oak softly asked, trying not to wake up Pikachu. He took a hold of Ash's hand and lead him down the hall.

They seated themselves in the living room. The TV was running, but did nothing more than add some background noise to their conversation. Although there was a program about the newly discovered Pokemon starring Professor Oak himself, their objects of attention at the moment were each other.

The professor, knowing that he now had Ash to himself, contained himself with the sparks of excitement inside of him. He smoothly moved in closer to Ash as he yawned and stretched. Ash, noticing his professor yawn, asked, "Are you tired, Prof- Oh," as he was cut off by realizing Oak's true motive: Oak had put his arm around the trainer's shoulder. Ash neither resisted nor protested the actions of Professor Oak; he rather liked it.

Ash's presence was such a rare occurrence nowadays; the Professor really could not help himself from keeping his hands off of him.

"If you wanted to put your arm around me, you don't have to yawn and stretch for it, you know," said Ash with a bit of eagerness in his voice.

"I do it for comical relief. You know how I like to tease you, don't you?" said the professor as he relaxed his grasp around Ash. "So… meet any cute girls on your travels?" asked Professor Oak in a playful tone.

"I sure have, Professor. Lots of them. All with perfect ten-outta-ten bodies." Ash replied in a sarcastic, comedic tone. They shared a laugh, knowing about Ash's true nature, the joke was well told.

Their hips and sides touched on the leather couch as Professor Oak closed their sitting distances. "Your mother misses you dearly, you know," Oak said in a soft voice only inches away from Ash's ear. "She always talks about how you and Pikachu should spend more time here,"

He began to remember his reasons for leaving in the first place. It had been his dream ever since he was ten to be a Pokémon master. Ash thought whether all the trouble he'd been going through would be worth it in the end. At that very moment, Ash had no regrets. However, he did indeed miss those who he considered family.

Ash thought for a moment, thinking about the people he cared about the most. "Well… What do you think, Professor? Do we really spend too much time away?" Ash asked in a reluctant, somewhat coy, tone.

Oak wrapping his arm around Ash gave the professor a better reason to scoot closer to his companion. This advancement gave Ash subconscious incentive to wrap his arm behind Professor Oak's lower back, something both of them enjoyed. He rested his head on Oak's shoulder as he awaited his response.

"_Everyone_ misses you," Oak said as his lips touched the top of Ash's hat. "What counts is that you're here, and we can only do our best to make you enjoy your stay here to the fullest," he added while he withdrew his arm from Ash's shoulder.

With his now free hands, Oak reached for Ash's free hand. He undid the Velcro strap securing the glove to his hand, and slowly slid it off. Putting the glove aside, the professor added, "We all don't want to withhold you from being a Pokémon master, after all," This put a smile on Ash's face, one that glowed of relief and closure.

The Professor reached around for Ash's other hand, ungloved it, and caressed both hands with his thumbs. Professor Oak slowly drew Ash's digits closer to him.

Professor Oak had not noticed how much Ash had grown. _"He's becoming a real man,"_ Oak thought as he rubbed Ash's bare hands, both of which were getting bigger and bigger by the year.

"You're really growing up, Ash. I really do hope you make the right choices," Professor Oak said as he slowly and gently kissed Ash's knuckles, one by one. The kisses moved from his knuckles, then to his wrists.

"Thank you, Professor," Ash said as his breathing got heavier.

"You're welcome. Now, relax," said Professor Oak. Ash leaned in at a steady speed toward Professor Oak until their lips touched, closing their eyes for a moment. When they reopened their eyes, their sights locked onto each other, giving each other a true expression of passionate conviction, one that only true lovers can successfully manifest.

"I've waited six months for that," a smiling Ash said as he swiftly kissed the tip of Oak's nose. "You've been flirting with me all day, I was practically dying," he added.

"Well, then I assume you know what comes next?" a grinning Professor said as he straddled Ash across the couch. Ash nodded and shared one more kiss with his beloved Professor.

"Let's go somewhere a little more comfortable," said the Professor as he lifted Ash from the couch, still straddled around the Professor's waist. "You really are growing," Professor Oak said as he readjusted his grasp on Ash's butt. "Soon you'll have to carry me," added Oak in a somewhat cheeky tone.

"Oh, Professor," chuckled Ash. Filled with anticipation, Ash was carried to the Professor's bedroom.


End file.
